Boreal Witch

I've been trying to get better about celebrating Pagan holidays. I missed the summer solstice and Lammas this year. I meant to have a bonfire on the Fall Equinox. Some of it I can blame on Balin, as any new mother can tell you it's difficult to get anything completed, much less started. Brushing your teeth in the morning becomes a major accomplishment. Housework gets swept to the side and is only done when the pile of dirty laundry threatens to swallow you whole or when the dishes lean precariously on the counters. Blogs get neglected. Smileboxes aren't sent. I think family members are beginning to wonder if we're still around.

Still, we really made an effort for Halloween. Arthur is old enough to begin to understand that costumes = loads of candy. There were two deaths of close family members within the last year as well. It was imperative that we recognize them, too. As a result, Halloween extended from one evening to a week-long event, which was surprisingly nice.

Last year, I made Arthur a Curious George costume, which he refused to wear. I didn't want that drama this year, so after some battles with Arthur about what he wanted to wear, I finally left the costume up to Robinson. He did a good job convincing Arthur to be a computer programmer, like him. They made cardboard iPads and Robinson even asked one of his co-workers to make Arthur a name tag, exactly like the ones at the school district. Robinson's co-workers thought he was the cutest thing ever. There were so many pictures taken and the end result of cubicle trick-or-treating was a small bag of candy, which is perfect because neither myself nor Robinson needs any more sweets.

Balin and I dressed up like Wicket the Ewok and Princess Leia. I reused the material from Arthur's rejected Curious George outfit. I was pretty surprised it worked so well. We made quite a stir at UAF's Halloween Bash. Even a brief truce was declared so that we could pose with members of the Empire's finest.

Arthur even went to eight of the stations and was eligible for one of several door prizes. What a surprise we had when he actually won one of them! It was a Star Wars Lego sticker book, just the kind of thing to make both Robinson and Josh green with envy. Arthur sat on the floor the afternoon he got it, peeling and placing stickers, saying, "Not everyone gets to win a prize. I'm special. This is really special." He even covered pieces of paper with stickers for Robinson and Uncle Johnny.

We also went to our friend Sarah's house to carve pumpkins, but since we had not yet gotten our pumpkins, the boys painted their little ones instead. Well, I painted Balin's because he probably would have eaten the paint. When we finally got our pumpkin, Arthur decided he wanted the letters E, W, P, and H carved in it rather than a face.

Finally, we made rice krispy treat skulls and decorated them with candy. Unfortunately, the marshmallows were so old that the treats hardened within the hour of making them. Still, I hadn't done this activity since I was a junior in college and it was very enjoyable making one with my own child. This might become an annual activity.

We also remembered my grandmother, who passed away last August, and Robinson's mom who passed away this January. It was a little sad when Arthur couldn't (or maybe didn't want to) come up with a memory of his Oldma. I wonder if, when he gets older, if he will have any actual memories of her.

Blessed be.